Patience is the real virtue

Last week (at least I think it was last week…), I was listening to a story on NPR about a woman who’d spent nearly her whole career with one company. She started out as an intern years and years ago, slowing working her way up to being CEO. I was only half listening to the interview, but what’s weird is that almost this whole week I kept thinking back to one specific answer she gave.

At one point the interviewer asked this woman what she’s learned or taken away from her time at the company, or what was one thing she wish she had back then that she now has. Her response? Patience.

She went on to explain that when you’re young, there’s a rush for everything. You see things that need to be changed/acted upon and you want it to happen immediately. It’s almost as though there’s a youthful arrogance about it, too. Now she felt like, through time and experience, she had patience to wait things out, to assess decisions and not jump head first into everything. Not everything needs to be rushed.

I don’t even know why that notion’s been stuck in my head all week. I think it’s in part because I feel like I’m becoming an increasingly impatient person. (Seriously – I just blogged about it last week). I get antsy waiting in line for zumba or to buy groceries. I want timely responses to emails and for people to return calls asap. Even this morning on my walk/jog, I kept thinking about how I’m too impatient to ever stick to a Couch to 5K program. I’ve never been good at the waiting game (thankfully I’m relatively good at hiding my annoyance when I’m impatient), but maybe that’s something you acquire over time and through experience?

And honestly…I don’t even know how this concept relates to my blog or overall happiness. Maybe if I learned to slow down I wouldn’t be so frazzled when patience is required? Perhaps it’s something I’m in a roundabout way trying to learn with my goal of spending an evening or afternoon alone. I don’t deal well with being idle and feel the need to utilize all my time well, but sometimes you need a break from that constant stimulation and busyness.

All that being said, this woman did say that you need that exuberance as you’re starting your life and career. That energy allows you to be innovative and rock the boat a bit. Maybe there’s a small silver lining in my impatience after all.

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About dakotalizzie

I'm a twentysomething young professional living in Nebraska. My blog centers on the things I love - my family, dogs, friends, crafting, cooking, life chats and health. All these things help me lead the good life, and isn't that really what it's all about?